Monday, 6 May 2013
What Are People’s Deepest Motivations?
Economists have long regarded financial gain as one of the primary motives that drive human beings. But research in the cognitive sciences increasingly shows that while money may induce people to work harder physically, it seems to have no effect at all where mental tasks are concerned.
As author Daniel Pink describes in an illustrated talk to which a link is provided below, studies in various countries have shown that giving people more money does not stimulate creative thought, even when the amounts offered are the equivalent of several weeks’ pay.
So if money does not motivate people to work harder, what does? Simpler, more “human” things, such as a feeling of independence, the love of a challenge, or the pleasure of improving oneself, mastering a subject, or finding personal or social meaning in one’s job.
For this reason, Pink concludes, treating people like human beings and not like Pavlov’s dogs is not only better for the individuals concerned, but also for society as a whole. And since some of the studies that Pink cites were commissioned by the Federal Reserve Bank of the United States, it is hard to dismiss this conclusion as some kind of socialist plot!
The web site of the RSA (Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce) offers a number of other animated talks on various aspects of human behaviour, such as language and brain lateralization. This unique teaching approach is very effective, and we certainly plan to link to more of these animated talks in future posts on this blog.
RSA Animate – Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us
RSA Animate – All Videos
Pleasure and Pain | Comments Closed
